ANKARA - Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Deniz Baykal said on Tuesday that Turkey would take part in an operation which didn't have international legitimacy, and political respectability and which was not wanted by the Turkish and Iraqi people.
''We are drifted voluntarily to a chaotic atmosphere in Iraq,'' said Baykal in the opening of his party's parliamentary group meeting.
Noting that the parliament would hold a historic session the same day, Baykal said that Turkey's sending soldiers to Iraq was not right and appropriate.
Baykal said that Turkey for long years searched for the principle of legitimacy while sending soldiers abroad, adding that this was not the case this time. Baykal stressed that even those who carried out the operation in Iraq were searching for international legitimacy today. Baykal stressed that no regional country other than Turkey sent soldiers to Iraq.
Noting that the Iraqi people didn't also want Turkish soldiers to come to the region, Baykal pointed out that ''we are going to Iraq although regional people oppose that.'' Baykal said sending soldiers was not a right decision, adding that ''a country which knows what it does would not drift into such an operation.'' Baykal said that Iraq started to be separated politically and culturally today and added that ''Turkey can't get a result which is good for Iraq and the region by contributing to the division process of Iraq.''
''It is not correct to contribute to a military operation whose result is not certain,'' Baykal said adding that the way to ensure stability in Iraq could not be through increasing the number of soldiers and ammunition, but on the contrary a new political and legitimacy understanding had to be put forward in Iraq.
''Why do we go to Iraq?'' asked CHP leader Baykal, adding that it was not realistic to say that 10,000 Turkish soldiers would ensure the order which could not be restored by 180,000 soldiers.
Baykal stated that Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul said that U.N. resolution was not necessary, adding that ''how can a foreign minister say that?'' Baykal stressed that the government was lucky as there was the condition of international legitimacy in the Constitution, adding that ''but the government could not benefit from that.''
(Öª) 07.10.2003